Meatball or basso is a type of meat ball that is commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. Meatballs are generally made from a mixture of ground beef and tapioca flour, but there are also meatballs made from chicken, fish, or even buffalo buffalo meat. In the presentation, meatballs are generally served hot with a clear gravy broth, mixed with noodles, vermicelli, sprouts, tofu, sometimes eggs and sprinkled with fried onions and celery. Meatballs are very popular and can be found all over Indonesia; from street hawkers to big restaurants. Various types of meatballs are now widely offered in the form of frozen food sold in supermarkets or malls. Sliced meatballs can also be used as a complement to other types of food such as fried noodles, fried rice, or cai cap.

Origin

Meatballs have roots from Chinese-Indonesian culinary arts. This is shown from the term 'bakso' derived from the word Bak-So, in Hokkien Language which literally means 'ground meat'. Since most Indonesians are muslims, meatballs are more commonly made from halal meat such as beef, fish, or chicken. Now, most sellers of meatballs are Javanese from Wonogiri and Malang. The famous place as the center of meatballs is Solo and Malang called Bakso Malang. Meatballs Malang and Solo meatballs are meatball dishes and served with typical Java. Meatballs come from China but different from Malang and Solo meatballs. Chinese meatballs are usually made of pork or seafood and the color is a bit brownish and the shape is not very round. While Malang and Solo meatballs made of beef, gray and round shape once. Chinese meatballs are usually not served with different sauce with Malang and Solo meatballs served with abundant sauce.

Meatballs Solo is a hereditary effort from Bakso Wonogiri, because many children and grandchildren who settled and opened a meatballs business in Solo and surrounding areas, especially the urban areas that are located so strategically on the edge of the highway.

BAKSO